Xero

xero.com
Accounting Software
Few Days

Beautiful, easy-to-use online accounting software for small businesses.

How to Replace Xero

Overview

Xero is cloud-based accounting software designed for small businesses and accountants to manage invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting in real-time. It provides automated workflows, multi-currency support, and seamless integration with banking and third-party applications.

Features

44 features across 30 categories

Accounts Payable(1)

Smart Invoice MatchingAIPremium

AI-powered matching of invoices to purchase orders and receipts.

Also in: Bill.com, Ramp, Tipalti

Analytics(1)

Role-Based Dashboard

Personalized dashboards for different user roles with relevant KPIs and insights.

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Asset Management(1)

Fixed AssetsPremium

Manage depreciation schedules and fixed asset registers with automated calculations.

Automation(1)

Expense RulesAI

Set up rules to automatically categorize expenses and allocate to cost centers.

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Banking(1)

Bank ReconciliationAI

Automatically match transactions and reconcile bank accounts in seconds.

Billing(4)

Credit Notes

Issue credit notes and manage customer refunds directly within invoicing.

Invoicing

Create, send, and track invoices with customizable templates and automatic reminders.

Recurring Invoices

Automate billing for repeat customers with scheduled invoice generation.

Subscription BillingPremium

Manage subscription-based revenue with recurring billing and auto-renewal.

Also in: Insightly, Airtable, Obsidian

CRM(1)

Contact Management

Maintain a centralized contact database with customer and supplier information.

Also in: monday.com, Setmore, HubSpot

Collections(2)

Late Payment InsightsAIPremium

Get AI-powered alerts and recommendations for overdue invoices.

Payment Reminders

Send automatic payment reminder emails to customers with due date alerts.

Compliance(1)

Audit Trail

Complete record of all changes made to accounts with user and timestamp details.

Data Management(1)

Data Import

Bulk import historical data from spreadsheets or previous accounting systems.

Expense Management(4)

Expense Categories

Create unlimited expense categories and track spending across dimensions.

Expense Claims

Track and manage employee expenses with receipt capture and approval workflows.

Expense Receipts via EmailAIPremium

Forward receipts to a dedicated email address for automatic capture and categorization.

Receipt CaptureAI

Scan or photograph receipts using mobile app with automatic data extraction via OCR.

Forecasting(1)

Cash Flow ForecastAIPremium

Predict future cash position based on outstanding invoices and bills using AI.

Fraud Prevention(1)

Duplicate Invoice DetectionAI

Automatically identify and flag duplicate invoices to prevent duplicate payments.

General Ledger(1)

Journal Entries

Record manual journal entries with full audit trails and approval workflows.

Governance(1)

Approval Workflows

Set up multi-level approval processes for invoices, expenses, and purchase orders.

Integration(1)

API Access

Build custom integrations and automate workflows using Xero's public API.

International(1)

Multi-Currency Support

Handle transactions in over 160 currencies with real-time exchange rates.

Inventory(1)

Inventory ManagementPremium

Track inventory levels, set reorder points, and manage stock across multiple locations.

Mobile(1)

Mobile App

Full accounting functionality available on iOS and Android devices.

Multi-Entity(1)

Multi-Entity AccountingPremium

Manage multiple companies or entities from a single dashboard with consolidation.

Payables(2)

Bill Management

Capture, categorize, and pay bills with full audit trails and approval controls.

Recurring Bills

Automatically generate bills for recurring vendor payments.

Payments(2)

Batch Payments

Pay multiple bills at once with scheduled batch processing and approval.

Online Payments

Accept customer payments directly from invoices via credit card or bank transfer.

Payroll(1)

PayrollPremium

Process payroll, manage benefits, and file payroll taxes automatically.

Planning(1)

BudgetingPremium

Create budgets, track variance, and compare actual performance against targets.

Procurement(1)

Purchase OrdersPremium

Create and manage purchase orders with approval workflows and supplier tracking.

Project Management(2)

ProjectsPremium

Track time, costs, and profitability for specific projects and clients.

Time TrackingPremium

Log billable hours for projects and clients with automatic invoice generation.

Reporting(3)

Custom ReportsPremium

Build custom financial reports with drag-and-drop report builder.

Financial Reports

Generate comprehensive profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow reports instantly.

Report DesignerPremium

Create branded financial reports with custom layouts and filters.

Sales(1)

Sales OrdersPremium

Generate sales orders that convert to invoices with real-time tracking.

Security(2)

Data Backup

Automatic daily backups with point-in-time recovery and disaster recovery.

User Permissions

Control access with granular role-based permissions and audit logs.

Tax(2)

Tax ManagementPremium

Prepare and file tax returns with pre-calculated tax obligations and audit-ready reports.

Tax Tracking

Track VAT/GST across multiple jurisdictions with tax return preparation.

Pricing

Starter

$15/mo
  • Up to 20 invoices per month
  • 1 user
  • basic reporting

Standard

Popular
$35/mo
  • Unlimited invoices
  • up to 5 users
  • inventory
  • projects

Premium

$65/mo
  • Unlimited users
  • advanced features
  • budgeting
  • fixed assets

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Xero

Monthly$15/mo
Yearly$180/yr
5-Year Total$900

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~5 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyEasy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$180
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$540
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$900
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 44 features at easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Xero alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 44 features.

Buy Xero

Better Value
Monthly cost$150/mo
3-year total$5,400
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$36,000
Maintenance$540/mo
3-year total$55,440
Dev time~3 months

Buying Xero saves ~$50,040 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 44 features and a BuildScore of 4/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

29 known integrations